A Week on the Sea of Cortez

I took this photo from the deck of Sea Story this morning at 7 AM.  Sipping that first cup of coffee while observing sunrise on the Sierra Gigante is a pretty nice way to start the day....

Singlar Marina Puerto Escondido

After six days at sea, we pulled into Puerto Escondido yesterday, approximately 100 miles north of La Paz.  A couple of hours prior to our arrival here we had enjoyed a truly exhilarating hour of challenging sailing in strong winds with gusts to 28 knots.  Wheeooo!!  So by the time we tied up at the fuel dock, we were truly ready for our first Pacificos of the day...we had earned them!

A lovely day on a calm sea.

  Shortly after this photo was taken on Wednesday, a group of approximately 50 dolphins

surrounded the boat and followed us for about 20 minutes.  Delightful!!

Since leaving La Paz on Valentine's Day, we enjoyed six different anchorages along the way to Puerto Escondido. At Los Gatos, one of our favorites from last year, we once again encountered Miguel, our Mexican fisherman friend.  He recognized us as the cruisers from last March who had given him two gallons of gas in exchange for a nice fish. This year after recognizing Sea Story, he waved from his panga (fishing boat) indicating we should slow down....he had lobsters to sell!  So, after a little haggling, we paid him 200 pesos (approx $16.50 USD) plus two Tecate beers for six lobsters. What a deal...what a meal!! (PS... Tecate beer isn't our favorite, so it was no sacrifice!!)

Preparing the lobsters and melted butter!!

Ta-Da!!

The next day he returned with another great deal: a fileted fish in exchange for four D batteries. Another great evening meal! Perhaps Miguel has a great thing going with us tender-hearted (sucker?) cruisers, but we like to think it's a way for us to return a favor to those kind, hard-working Mexicans whose country we so enjoy.

This morning I did two loads of laundry here at the marina while Jerry washed down the boat with fresh water. Next on the agenda, groceries from Fernando's tienda, about a mile walk from the marina.  We know it's always better to grocery shop after a meal than before, so we detoured a few hundred feet to the quaint and charming Hotel Tripui for lunch.  Emma, the waitress remembered us from last March, and she kindly took our photo.

Lunch at Hotel Tripui

So, we have once again filled our fresh water tanks, recharged our batteries, caught up on emails, and restocked the bread, apples & tomatoes, and beer supply. There's a big three-day "norther" predicted for Tuesday-Thursday this week, so we'll be off very early tomorrow morning for the 40 mile trip up to San Juanico, a nice anchorage to dig in for whatever the weather brings for the next few days.

That's it for now.  More another day...

'Bout time....

It seems that as my stays in Mexico have become longer, my emails to family and friends have become less frequent. Therefore, this blog might help fill in the gaps and provide a way for me to share some of my wonderful life aboard Sea Story.

The photo at left is our view of Dock 3 gate here at Marina Palmira.

This is our second year in La Paz, a beautiful city of 250,000 located on the east side of Baja about three hours by car north of Cabo San Lucas. Baja is divided into two states, Baja California Norte & Baja California Sur, and La Paz is the government center of BCS. The city abounds with culture...theaters, art galleries, a music school, art & language schools....and many services including clinics and hospitals, several marinas, an international airport, and 'big box' stores such as Sam's Club, WalMart, Home Depot, Office Max, Sears, etc.

Jerry and I arrived in mid-November in time to enjoy a great Thanksgiving meal with other cruisers and enjoy the holiday festivities of the season. Sea Story's display of lights up the backstay, down the forestay and around the deck brought us the top prize on Dock 3!!

The Malecon in La Paz

One of the most charming aspects of this city is the Malecon, a 3.5 mile tiled walkway that extends north and south along the bay. It serves as a great place to stroll, run, skate, bike, walk dogs, etc., and each morning finds hundreds of locals and tourists exercising on the Malecon. Some stop along the way to stretch, do push-ups or sit-ups, often greeting each other with "Hola" or "Buenos Dias". It's quite simply a beautiful way to start each day....a walk under palm trees alongside the blue/green water lapping into shore. We hit the Malecon most every day, Jerry for a 3 mile run and me for a two mile walk...and every single day I am amazed at my lucky, lucky life.

As some of you know, I had the unexpected good fortune of connecting with some musicians here last year, even doing some performing. That has continued this year, and last Saturday night I was invited to sing six tunes with the four-piece jazz group, "Seven Clouds to Heaven". The concert, a fundraiser for a local public school, was held in the oldest theater in La Paz, Teatro de Juarez, located in downtown La Paz. The acoustics were fabulous, the audience very appreciative, and it was a great evening. There is a rumor that a DVD is being made of the concert, so I may have some memorabilia forthcoming...!

Captain Rosendo Robles Elementary School

BACK TO SCHOOL! This morning at 8 AM the bassist and I went to the school to present the concert proceeds to the principal at their flag ceremony. The entire student body of 520 students, Grade 1-6, was lined up in rows in the courtyard for this event! This is the only public elementary school in La Paz with a full-time English teacher and one of the very few public schools in La Paz that has a room designated as a "computer room". However, they are in need of computers so hopefully the concert proceeds will help with purchase of a computer or two. Also needed is sunbrella to cover their central plaza-like playground because they begin school in August when heat and sun of Mexico is most intense....sometimes 110 degrees F.

Many students were dressed in uniform....girls in white blouse/plaid jumpers or skirts, boys in white shirts/navy pants....and some pulled rolling book bags as they hurried to their place in line outside their classroom for the flag ceremony. Students here in La Paz have free education through grade six, then many cannot afford the $300/year to continue their education, so they are unable to go beyond sixth grade. The students are so polite, clean, well-mannered....and I must admit I truly enjoyed being "back at school", if only for an hour. It must be said, however, that this school is a real contrast to the schools farther out of the city....in the colonias....where things are much more impoverished: no paper, no pencils, no books, often no breakfast or lunch at school. My friend, Erleen, took her camera to a colonia school last year to take photos of students and teachers. Parents came, entire families...they had never had a photo taken of their child or of themselves. They were thrilled when she returned two days later with their photos! Such a simple thing.....

The "Tailhunter"

....our favorite sports bar.....

where we will watch the Super Bowl!

Blue water on our left, waves rolling in, great burgers, five TV's, and 

Pacificos by the bucket-full.

Can't get much better for a Sunday in February....

Enough for my first blog!
More another day....